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. THe Marine REVIEW Uniren States Navat Coitier Neptune, Burtt By THE MARYLAND STEEL: Co., Sparrow's Point, Mp. accomplishment and speaks well for the facilities at Baltimore for export | coal shipment. The Baltimore & Ohio terminals at Curtis Bay were the scene of great activity during the loading of the collier, every man of the force being alert to the per- formance of his particular task in or- der that there might not be any delay in getting the cargo on board. The collier was loaded under the supervis- ion of E. E. Brewer, agent for the: failvoaa at Curtis Bay. At. Curtis Bay the Baltimore & Ohio railroad handles its export coal shipments through the port of Baltimore, this terminal being the best equipped on the Atlantic coast. The receiving yard has a capacity of 2,500 cars, the plan being to increase this capacity to 3,500 cars. The length of the pier over which the Neptune was loaded is 800 ft., permitting four vessels to load at the same time, two on each side. The dumping' capacity of the pier averages 1,000 tons an hour on each side, or 2,000 tons an hour work- ins at full' capacity. The cars are pushed «onto the pier by a locomo- tive, preparatory to being dumped, directly over pockets into which the coal is dropped and through which it enters shoots leading to the vessel. There are 25 of these pockets each side of the pier. After a car is unloaded into the vessel, it pro- ceeds by gravity to the extreme end of the pier, where it is switched to another gravity track leading to. the yard. A force of 400 men is em- ployed on the pier loading the vessels. The Neptune is 520 ft. between perpendiculars, 65 ft. beam and 39 ft. 6 in. deep. Her propelling machinery consists of Westinghouse geared tur- bines. Alterations to the Portland HE steamer Portland, now un- dergoing repairs and_ altera- tions at the yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, at Riv- er Rouge, Mich., preparatory to ser- vice in the Atlantic coast trade, was originally ¢he steamer A: B. Wolvin and with her sister ship the Wm. P. Palmer, was built at the Globe yard of the American Ship Building Co. in 1900, to the order of | Ay B. Wolvin- of Duluth: This order also included the tow barges Paraguay and Acunsion, built at the Lorain yards by the same company. 'on the Atlantic coast. The Paraguay and Acunsion some years ago were converted into oil tankers and sent to the Atlantic coast. Last year the steamer Wm. P. Palm- er was purchased by an eastern steam- ship company and also put in service ae Ac. B. Wolvin under the name of the Porte. land will now follow the others into that service. The A. B. Wolvin was originally built as a package freight steamer, but was later purchased by the, Pitts- burg Steamship Co. and did service in the ore and coal carrying trade. Two ron & Duluth Steamship. Co. on' August, 1911 years ugo the Port Huron & Duluth Steamship Co. bought the A. B. Wol- vin from the Pittsburg Steamship Co. and renamed her the Portland, and put her again in the package freight business on their route between Port -Huron and Duluth. At this time she was also fitted with passenger accom- modations for summer business in the shape of two portable deckhouses con- taining a number of state rooms which were fitted over two of the hatches on the upper deck, and so fitted that they could be removed in the fall sea- son. The requirements of the Port Huron & Duluth Steamship Co. hav- ing outgrown the facilities thus af- forded in the steamer Portland and other vessels of their line, they cast about for a larger steamer to meet . their requirements. This was found in the steamer Yale, belonging to Messrs. Boland & Cornelius, of Buf- falo, and an arrangement was entered into by which the Portland was sold for service on the Atlantic coast, the Yale was purchased by the Port Hu- from Messrs. Boland & Cornelius, and: Messrs. Boland & Cornelius placed an order with the Great Lakes Engineer- ing Works for a new bulk freight steamer to be built during the coming winter at the new yard of that com- pany at Ashtabula, Ohio. The alterations being made on the Portland for her new service are of a very extensive nature. The vessel was placed in dry dock. at River Rouge last April and large repairs made to her hull. She will be fitted with a new tail shaft and stern tube, all brass-lined for salt water service. The rudder of balanced type usual in lake practice will be replaced by the regular ocean type of rudder with pintles and gudgeons, built on the single plate principle with the upper stock constructed separately from the rudder and coupled to it by a vertical flange coupling. A new forged rud- der post with gudgeon bearings for rudder pintles forged on will be fitted to the stern frame with scarphs top and bottom, connected by heavy turned bolts. The engines and boilers have been very thoroughly overhauled, the boil- ers being fitted throughout with new tubes. A new surface condenser and air pump and centrifugal circulating pump have been installed, and all pip- ing and connections in the engine room, water bottom, and on the boil- ers refitted suitable for salt water service. Bunkers have been constructed to carry a fuel supply of 400 tons of